The Two Beliefs That Keep You Stuck in a Stress Cycle

One of the biggest takeaways I got from attending Arianna Huffington's "Thrive" event in New York City last month was this: Everyone knows they're stressed and knows they must do something about it. But no matter who you are -- a full-time professional, full-time parent, a movie star, or Arianna herself -- there's this sinking idea that stress is insurmountable, that it's simply bigger than you.

There wasn't one person who graced that stage who didn't, at one time or another, think, "This is too much. I can't handle it." And everyone who has come around the bend of that stress-induced despair didn't do it by beating stress or "winning," but by changing their mindset.

We recently conducted a survey in our community called "What Does Stress Look Like to You?" to get a sense of how the meQ community was coping with stress.

When asked why their own stress went unaddressed, more than 50 percent of respondents replied that they didn't know how to address it, or they believed nothing would help.

Whoa. That stopped us in our tracks. More than anything else, this suggests that people aren't dealing with the negative stress in their lives because of an powerful, invisible, and ultimately fluid force: the thoughts they have about their stress.

These are classic "iceberg beliefs," the thoughts or beliefs you have -- about the world, yourself, the way people should act -- that even you may not be aware of. They sit just below the surface and loom large enough that it gets in your way without you realizing it.

They're called icebergs because only the tip is in our conscious awareness. The rest lies under water, below the level of awareness. Like a real iceberg, these thoughts can be difficult to steer around, and can even sink the ship.

Let's take these one at a time:

Mental Trap #1: "I don't know how to address my stress."
What's really going on here? There is a suggestion of helplessness and lack of control. The iceberg belief may run something like, "I am incapable of taking charge of my life, and will just have to suffer as a result. I can't do anything about it." Go a little deeper, and you get a whisper of this thought underneath it: "Someone else should rescue me."

Of course, you may not have ever said that in so many words, but I'm willing to bet that you're own helplessness sounds a little like that. You can see how this would create more stress in your life, and compound the stress you already have!

Mental Trap #2: "I don't believe anything will change my stress."
Now this one comes from a similar Iceberg of helplessness. What's moving beneath the surface of this thought? Perhaps it's a belief you learned long ago that your efforts are doomed to fail. Or there's a belief that you in fact should be stressed, that this is your lot in life, and that maybe you don't even deserve pleasure or happiness. This is a recipe for long-term suffering.

How to Shift these Beliefs
These deep beliefs were probably helpful when you were a kid, but you've outgrown their usefulness. They are keeping you from dealing with the negative stress that can have a serious, long lasting effect, all the way to an increased chance of heart attack and Alzheimer's.

More information isn't the answer. The first thought, that you don't know how, may be true, for the moment. But you and I both know that a lack of information is not most people's problem. We are, after all, living in the age of information. You're a few keystrokes away from more than you could possibly read, let alone use. But most importantly, you're still under the assumption that more information equals less stress. And that can lead you to think you "don't know enough." But that's a convenient way of hanging onto habitual and self-limiting ways of thinking. None of which serve you in the least.

Transform helplessness to hopefulness. If you find yourself thinking, "Nothing can change my stress," stop and acknowledge the purpose of assuming the worst. Does it make sense to assume this? What does holding onto this assumption do for you?

And most importantly, recognize: You don't have to have all the answers to be able to take care of yourself and be open to the possibility of change.

No doubt, there are likely concrete obstacles to addressing your stress -- a demanding job, lack of childcare, maybe health concerns, maybe a lack of social connection. These realities make it even more important for you to work with your Iceberg Beliefs so that when opportunities to address your stress do come up, you're able to embrace them. (Read more on coping with iceberg beliefs.)

Remember, you can't expect to dislodge your old beliefs in a day or a week. But the first step is being aware that they are there, then trying to understand how they got there and whether or not they actually hold up to the life you have now and the person you are now.

Jan Bruce is CEO and co-founder of meQuilibrium, the new digital coaching system for stress, which helps both individuals and corporations achieve measurable results in stress management and wellness.